Genesis 42:23
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spoke to them by an interpreter.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spoke to them by an interpreter.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
They were not conscious that the sense of their words was clear to Joseph, for he had been talking to them through one who had knowledge of their language.
Webster's Revision
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spoke to them by an interpreter.
World English Bible
They didn't know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
English Revised Version (ERV)
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
Clarke's Genesis 42:23 Bible Commentary
For he spake unto them by an interpreter - Either there was a very great difference between the two languages as then spoken, or Joseph, to prevent all suspicion, might affect to be ignorant of both. We have many evidences in this book that the Egyptians, Hebrews, Canaanites, and Syrians, could understand each other in a general way, though there are also proofs that there was a considerable difference between their dialects.